Pens With Piston Fill, Removable Nibs, & Large Ink Capacity?

[kealani]

Hawaii newbie here again.

Thanks everyone for you wonderful help.

 

I really like my Pelican M200 with a tuned fine nib from "Nibsmith". The nib was tuned for maximum smoothness and flow. I also have a Sailor 1911

 

What other pens or brands have good ink capacity like the Pelicans?

 

I like pens with fine nibs, wet, and smooth tips that write like butter on glass.

 

My price range is up to $200 but less is better.

 

Suggestions?

 

thanks everyone for your kind help.

Aloha

jim

 

**** Edited to remove "changeable nibs".

Edited March 22, 2018 by AlohaJim

[Rosendust2121]

Since your looking for ink capacity as one of your criteria, have you looked into a TWSBI?

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Rosendust

[Chrissy]

Aurora Optimas or 88's

[almoore]

Since your looking for ink capacity as one of your criteria, have you looked into a TWSBI?

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Rosendust

Hi,

I think a TWSBI could be what you are looking for, all should be well below your budget. I have most of them but I use the Vac700R which has a very large ink capacity,but the 580 and the Eco are excellent as well.

 

If the stock nibs doesn't meet your needs it's worth checking out fpnibs.com as they supply a wide range of nibs and will adjust them for you.

 

Al

Edited March 21, 2018 by almoore

[Driften]

The problem is the price range. For that range I think the TWSBI suggestion is a good one and I think they hold more then the Pelikan m200.

 

Is there a real reason for wanting nibs that unscrew like that? It always seems like a great idea, but most people don't buy multiple nibs for the same pen. At least I don't. When you get a nib you love, you will want to leave it in. Pens are also addictive and it's more fun to buy another pen then just a nib. I do have two nibs for my Pelikan M205 but none for my M805 or Aurora Optima. Another factor is on the more costly pens the replacement nibs are not cheep. I think for the Aurora the nibs are around $300. Not much different for the Pelikan m800's. You can pay as much for a Pelikan M400 gold nib as your M200 cost you.

[ThomasB]

Aurora Optimas or 88's

I second the Auroras, although price may be an issue...although you can pick a used one on ebay from time to time at a good price

[Ted A]

Wing Sung makes several. And you can buy a lot of them for $200

[Bo Bo Olson]

A vintage 400NN**** holds more ink than a MB 149..1.6ml, Pelikan 1000 147?, 800/600 1.37ml or a 400/200 1.27ml

400NN @ 1.97ml according to some...........I never ever remember to weigh my 400nn when empty ... I keep forgetting.

 

The 400nn will be semi-flex...if you have four pens...you could be ready for it....or if you have a very light Hand. humm a 200 is a regular flex....that's the short cut...so you could be ready..........but why not carry two pens for a while...or fill your 200 every morning before the cup of coffee.

 

A long Sheaffer cartridge holds 1.60ml. ........two international shorts....0.74 = 1.48ml.

 

I don't think a Visconti has a screw out nib....but one or two models have over 2.0ml.

Edited March 22, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[kealani]

The problem is the price range. For that range I think the TWSBI suggestion is a good one and I think they hold more then the Pelikan m200.

 

Is there a real reason for wanting nibs that unscrew like that? It always seems like a great idea, but most people don't buy multiple nibs for the same pen. At least I don't. When you get a nib you love, you will want to leave it in. Pens are also addictive and it's more fun to buy another pen then just a nib. I do have two nibs for my Pelikan M205 but none for my M805 or Aurora Optima. Another factor is on the more costly pens the replacement nibs are not cheep. I think for the Aurora the nibs are around $300. Not much different for the Pelikan m800's. You can pay as much for a Pelikan M400 gold nib as your M200 cost you.

 

Good point.

Thanks for the help.

Okay. Forget the changeable nibs.

Other suggestions?

[jekostas]

Pilot Custom 92.

[Driften]

A Pilot 92 is a nice pen and slightly bigger then the M200 you have. It's also not very expensive with a gold nib. jekostas made a good suggestion on that one. I like mine.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Why forget changeable nibs????

200's nibs are @ $30 each. You could get a couple for your 200.

Edited March 22, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[kealani]

A Pilot 92 is a nice pen and slightly bigger then the M200 you have. It's also not very expensive with a gold nib. jekostas made a good suggestion on that one. I like mine.

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

I'll look at the Pilot 92.

 

aloha

jim

[kealani]

Why forget changeable nibs????

200's nibs are @ $30 each. You could get a couple for your 200.

True.

I recently bought a "tuned" custom nib from "NibSmith" for $40 or so and it transformed my Pelican M200.

 

thanks,

jim

[Torrilin]

The problem is the price range. For that range I think the TWSBI suggestion is a good one and I think they hold more then the Pelikan m200.

 

Is there a real reason for wanting nibs that unscrew like that? It always seems like a great idea, but most people don't buy multiple nibs for the same pen. At least I don't. When you get a nib you love, you will want to leave it in. Pens are also addictive and it's more fun to buy another pen then just a nib. I do have two nibs for my Pelikan M205 but none for my M805 or Aurora Optima. Another factor is on the more costly pens the replacement nibs are not cheep. I think for the Aurora the nibs are around $300. Not much different for the Pelikan m800's. You can pay as much for a Pelikan M400 gold nib as your M200 cost you.

I do swap nibs a fair bit if the pen allows. It’s a very useful feature if you like a variety of line widths. And particularly for calligraphy it can make things much cheaper. There’s just not many day to day pen uses where you REALLY want a 1.9mm or bigger italic. So rather than have a dedicated hanger queen pen, you mostly use it with a reasonable size nib, and you fish out the big one when you need it. There’s a reason why calligraphy sets are popular.

 

But yeah, chances are you’ll have favorite widths. Ones where you actually want that size inked all the time. That’s why you don’t usually see ball nibs sold in sets the way italic nibs are.

 

I don’t think any of the piston filler brands besides TWSBI offer fully user swappable nibs. But TWSBI even doesn’t offer a full size range. Just 1.1mm italic. If you want larger, it’s an after market mod. So I’m not really sure it’s worthwhile to treat it as a killer feature. Save the really big nibs for pens designed for them.

 

Obviously mileage varies, and if you’re regularly handlettering announcements and signs, maybe a 2-3mm nib is your most useful one. But it’s not the way I’m betting.

[MKeith]

I would suggest a look at the Bexley Poseidon II, Corona (piston fillers), Gate City (syringe filler). They hold a good amount of ink and have robust pistons (Bexleys). I have seen the Bexleys for under $200 occasionally, and the Gate City are listed for $195 new at Indy-Pen-Dance. All these pens have JoWo screw in nib units that are reasonably priced.

Edited March 22, 2018 by MKeith

[Stephanopolous]

How about an Opus 88 Koloro? It's an eyedropper. I've been very happy with mine.

[Bo Bo Olson]

There is a huge difference between an EF and a B...in the B allows some flair.

Euro B not the M that the Japanese pens call a B.

[Driften]

How about an Opus 88 Koloro? It's an eyedropper. I've been very happy with mine.

 

 

The Opus 88 is also a nice pen, but be advised it takes like four complete turns to remove the cap. I like mine but it's on the dry side and uses a #5 size nib.If you are cool with an pen built to be an eyedropper it's cool. It actually has a shutoff valve. The section is very comfortable and it's a good sized pen. There is a new model the Picnic that costs even less money coming out soon.

[Catrin]

The problem is the price range. For that range I think the TWSBI suggestion is a good one and I think they hold more then the Pelikan m200.

 

Is there a real reason for wanting nibs that unscrew like that? It always seems like a great idea, but most people don't buy multiple nibs for the same pen. At least I don't. When you get a nib you love, you will want to leave it in. Pens are also addictive and it's more fun to buy another pen then just a nib. I do have two nibs for my Pelikan M205 but none for my M805 or Aurora Optima. Another factor is on the more costly pens the replacement nibs are not cheep. I think for the Aurora the nibs are around $300. Not much different for the Pelikan m800's. You can pay as much for a Pelikan M400 gold nib as your M200 cost you.

For me I really like being able to switch out nib units on my pens. I've several TWSBI 580s and an Edison Collier for which I've multiple nib units based on my mood and the inks I'm using, perhaps that's just me. I am seriously considering adding a Vac700r in broad, and will likely get a stub to switch out as well. Some ink/nib combinations just work better, at least for me, and this is a less expensive option.